Ian flies the world

Quaint English traditions in the Pacific

Monopolies, we are often told, lead to lack-lustre service
and higher prices. Others tell us that competition in many
fields leads to oligopoly, where a few companies together act
like a monopoly. This is a cartel, also deemed to be a bad
thing.

So it was that the news was suddenly around Port Vila that
the monopoly on planning round the world trips under the terms
of my contract was broken, leaving us free to choose either the
previous monopolist, a French-speaking agency or their new
competitor, an English-speaking agency. In the months before the
change, I think nearly everybody had seen the writing on the
wall, and the English company had worked hard for possible
future work. Now, here was the opportunity, and it was seized by
many.

A careful choice of round the world options available,
associated with desired destinations, revealed that Air New
Zealand in conjunction with Cathay Pacific offered the best fit
for us, and so it was that the trip was booked and duly
undertaken as follows.

4 April 1992 Air Vanuatu 51 Port Vila to Auckland, Business

Having arranged for our car to be used and serviced in our
absence and for our house to be occupied and cleaned, it only
remained to get to the airport in time to fly.

Checking in at Port Vila has never been arduous for those
who know what they are doing, especially when travelling
Business Class. Even so, it comes as a surprise to discover that
the four of us accounted for the whole Business Class passenger
list.

After a short wait in the departure hall and goodbyes to
friends, some of whom we would probably never see again, it was
time to wander through the formalities of immigration and
customs. Sometimes I wonder whether informalities might be a
better word here.

Not long after this, it was time to board the plane, and
as we took our places we were again offered a choice of juice or
champagne. Surprisingly, having chosen juice, we were not
offered any more alcohol during the whole of the flight. Our
opinions on in-flight drinks differ quite sharply with those of
some friends who seem to think that the main reason for
travelling in Business Class is the chance to drink as many
different good wines as possible in the shortest possible time.

Soon after take-off, my son announced that he wanted to go
to the toilet. Unfortunately, this indicated a state of health
that was to haunt us most of the way back home. He had been in
fine health up to this point, but there was no point in worrying
now, thirty thousand feet above the Coral Sea.

The flight was otherwise pleasant and uneventful, and
arrived in Auckland on time. Immigration and customs ran
smoothly. Generally, there is little problem for people
travelling with young children. The agricultural departments of
countries are most excited because parents tend to travel with
the most extraordinary things which they consider baby food but
which authorities see as potential public health hazards.

Auckland City Travelodge was again the hotel of our
choice, thereby joining the two earlier hotels which have
received repeat business in the context of air travel. My son's
continued illness meant that our activity in New Zealand was
quite restricted, although he did walk some quite large
distances, a great achievement for a little boy who then could
not eat at all or drink much.

The BBC World Service was just starting a relay in
Auckland at the time we were there, and promotion of this and
all things British resulted in British Week and all that this
entails while we were there. Queen Street hosted the main
exhibition, including facsimiles of the Crown Jewels. I paid the
entrance fee to the exhibition myself but my two sons did not.
They were both given flags to wave but I was not. This is the
sort of prejudice one encounters when adult.

Back at the hotel, British Week was happening too.
Ordering dinner from room service resulted in a meal served by a
waitress dressed as a court jester. Obviously embarrassed to be
walking through the hotel in this curious garb, she explained
the reason. I indicated my more normal attire, explaining that
this was more normal attire for a British person.

While in Auckland, we paid the almost obligatory visit to
Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World. It hadn't changed much since
the last time...neither had the United Airlines bus, except that
it now advertised their European services, which hadn't started
the year before.